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Constant fatigue and antidepressant
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Hello 😊
I have been taking an antidepressant since November last year. I am experiencing the side effect of constant fatigue which I’m finding very challenging.
I would love to hear from anyone who is or has experienced this side effect. I will be touching base with my care team soon - I can’t keep living like this.
Thanks
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Dear KMF~
I've taken quite a wide variety of A/D's over hte years, in fact I felt like a beta tester for pharmaceutical companies and their new products. I've had all sorts of reactions from sleeplessness and hyper to being dopey all the time.
As a result it's no surprise a particular medication may be giving you constant fatigue and I'm glad you are going to talk this over with your care team. It's the sensible thing to do and I'd be most surprised if an alternative could not be found.
Eventually I hit on the correct regimen and have virtually no side effects.
Please let us know how you get on
Croix
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Thanks so much for your reply 😊
I’m happy to hear that you are on a regime that works for you.
It is tough to go to work, care for family etc when all I want to do is to curl up in bed.
One day at a time!
Take care,
KMF
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Hello KMF, when we are taking an AD, it's a drug that is trying to balance how we feel, so it might change our routine meaning it could easily make us more tired.
Slowly you learn to adjust to how you feel or an alternative is to go back to your doctor and ask them if it's possible to adjust your medication, but only if you are feeling better mentally, but have a talk with them.
Best wishes.
Geoff.
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Hi KMF
Definitely something worth discussing with your care team. If you can't feel an energetic connection to life, this in itself can be depressing. Taking an anti depressant that's depressing is worth questioning. Sounds like you've already found the answer to the question 'Can I keep taking this in it's current form?'. Trust what you feel.
With the meds designed to produce the right chemical reactions within us, the side effects can be telling in regard to whether the right chemical reaction is happening or not. If the chemistry is leading to a significant reduction in energy, again you gotta question that. November sounds like plenty of time to find out whether the med is working or not, in its current form/dose. Life's not meant to be lived in such an ongoing way over a period of months. Another way of looking at it is - if someone was naturally feeling as fatigued as you are and they went to the doctors, there'd be an investigation into what's causing such fatigue. Maybe you could mention to your care team 'I need more energy than what this medication is giving me'. They might try reducing the dose and it's impact or eliminating it completely.
The hunt for the right med can get seriously depressing at times, as we find all the ones that don't work before hitting on the one that does. Managing the process thoughtfully and carefully is the task of any care team. Again, trust what you feel and make sure they're listening carefully, with an open mind, to what you're reporting to them.
Wishing you only the best and hoping your progress speeds up to the point where you can feel it 🙂